ICPO: Chuvashov and Markelov were killed from different guns

The information widespread earlier that Federal Judge Eduard Chuvashov and lawyer Stanislav Markelov were shot dead with one gun has nothing to do with reality. This was stated by the Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office (ICPO) of the Russian Federation.

The "Caucasian Knot" reported earlier that the information about the murder of Chuvashov and Markelov from one pistol was spread by Alexei Baranovsky, close friend Nikita Tikhonov, who is accused of assassinating Stanislav Markelov and journalists Anastasia Baburova. According to Baranovsky, the investigation has come to this conclusion by the results of ballistic examination of the bullets extracted from Chuvashov's body.

Baranovsky also expressed his opinion that the decision of the Basmanny Court to extend the investigation of the case on Markelov's murder till August 19 has to do with Eduard Chuvashov's murder. "Now the investigation wants to link these two murders," he explained his point of view.

On April 14, after messages appeared in media that Chuvashov and Markelov had been shop dead with one pistol, the ICPO made an official refutation, saying that the earlier disseminated statement of Alexei Baranovsky, coordinator of the Legal Centre "Russian Verdict" and Tikhonov's friend that the bullets that killed the lawyer and the judge were identical is not true. This was reported by the portal "Osobaya Bukva" (Special Letter).

The ICPO's spokesman Vladimir Markin has emphasized that Chuvashov could not be killed with the same pistol as Markelov and Baburova already for that reason that the pistol withdrawn at a search during investigation of the first twin murder is now in the materials of the criminal case as a material evidence. The ballistic examination confirmed that the lawyer and the journalist were killed with that pistol. Besides, the bullets found in the place of the crime against Eduard Chuvashov have not yet passed the ballistic examination, as the portal "Economic Safety" writes.

The "Novaya Gazeta" has regarded the false information, disseminated by mass media from Alexei Baranovsky's submission, as a sort of preparation launched by defendants Tikhonov and Khasis before their forthcoming trial on charges of murdering Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia Baburova.

Let us remind you that the judicial community of Russia has called the government of the country to take all measures to ensure security of judges. This was stated by Vyacheslav Lebedev, Chairman of the Supreme Court at the farewell ceremony with Federal Judge Eduard Chuvashov on March 14 in the building of the Moscow City Court, where the late Chuvashov had worked.